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Cerebral palsy: Parents seek govts help for children

April 4, 2012 by Bukola Adebayo

Parents and care givers of children living with cerebralpalsy have called on the Federal Government to subsidise treatment for children with the condition and other developmental challenges.

Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term for a group of disorders affecting body movement, balance, and posture caused by abnormal development or damage in one or more parts of the brain that control muscle tone and motor activity.

They spoke at a seminar tagged, “Understanding Cerebral Palsy,” organised by the Paediatric Department of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Lagos, in collaboration with the Cerebral Palsy Centre in Lagos on Tuesday.

They also called on government to support affected children and increase their chance of surviving by supporting the cost of their treatment.

The Director and founder, CP Centre, Ms. Nonye Nweke, who has a five-year-old daughter with cerebral palsy, stated that the cost of caring for a child with the disease was beyond the reach of the average Nigerian.

She noted that this lack of support from government had discouraged parents from seeking treatment and many had abandoned children because they could not afford the treatment.

Nweke said, “My child’s diagnosis was a blow to me but the bigger blow was discovering that there were no centres or specialists to cater for her. I had to quit my business to set up the centre. Many parents may have abandoned her, some would have hidden her or taken her to the village just because they have no place to go or seek treatment. Government must support us. They may not be able to walk, but they have talents.”

She also noted that the active role of parents and caregivers in the survival of a child with cerebral palsy could not be over-emphasised and urged them to provide strong psychological and emotional support for affected children.

She said, “It is the commonest cause of movement problems in children. It is very difficult and expensive to manage but we cannot abandon them. Parents must stand up and accept the challenge. No therapist or doctor will care for your child the way you would.”

Speaking on the lack of experts to treat cerebral palsy, another parent, Mr. Gbenga Akinropo, said it took another two years for him to get an accurate diagnosis of his son’s condition.

Akinropo said, “Managing CP is very expensive and is a burden on a lot of parents, therefore we are pleading with the Federal Government to provide experts and personnel to manage these children. Children are gifts from God and they should be well catered for no matter their condition.”

Meanwhile, a consultant paediatrician at the hospital, Prof.Afolabi Lesi, had said although CP had no cure, it could be managed such that children could lead normal lives.

He said children with CP would be needing nutritionists, physiotherapists, ophthalmologists and audiologists to educate parents and caregivers on their daily needs and urged government to increase human capacity for the treatment of children with special needs.

Lesi urged families to be patient with affected children and appealed to the government and the public to provide parents of such children with emotional, financial and social support.

He called on pregnant mothers to avoid conditions that could predispose them to having mentally and physically-challenged children by preventing infections such as jaundice that could result in premature delivery.